Joshua, Chapters 16-19 - Promise to Responsibility | Prophets of Israel

[music] >> Shalom friends, welcome to the Prophets of Israel daily. Today [music] we're doing something unusual. The next few chapters are very short, very connected. So today we're going to be going through chapters 16 [music] to 19. My name is of course Jeremy Gimpel. I'm here with my best friend, my root of study partner Ari Abramowitz, and this journey going through all of the Prophets of Israel one day at a time is of course brought to you by the Land of Israel Network. And you should join us. Become a member. You can find out more at the landofisrael.com. And so, what happens after all the battles are won? After the walls fall, the kings are defeated, after the miracles fade, what comes next? Because in the Prophets, the real test of a nation isn't in just how we fight, it's how we build our lives. And so today we're going to do something a little different. Until now we've gone chapter by chapter, but today we're going to go through several chapters all together, and some of them are the shortest in the whole book. And really in these chapters we're going to complete the division of the Land of Israel. And really these chapters function as one unit. So as we enter into chapters 16 to 19, the story starts to slow down. The text becomes like a list. And that's also why we've condensed these chapters into one episode. They're really all about the borders and the tribal inheritances. And this is the moment in the book that Israel stops being an army and starts becoming a people rooted in their land. See, until now the book focused on conquest, Jericho, the Ai, the southern kings, the northern kings. But in these chapters the mission shifts from winning the land to distributing responsibility for it. And each tribe has to receive its portion, and each family now needs to build its home. And so the question is no longer can Israel take the land? The question now becomes can Israel live up to the land? You know, Jeremy, that that line actually hits me in a very real way because it's one thing to fight for something and sacrifice for something. We've we've done that. You know, but it's a completely different thing to actually live inside the thing, right? Live inside the blessing when you've received it. And and I feel that personally, you know, we're living here in Judea. We're building and planting and raising our children here. And and I think to myself all the time, are we really living lives that are or not you, you're fine. Am I living a life that's worthy of this gift? I often feel very unworthy. Uh because the Land of Israel isn't just a place you move to. It's a place that demands something from you. You know, I always marvel with Shayna about how you can almost tangibly feel the holiness here in these mountains. You can sense the presence of Hashem. And with that comes a great responsibility. You know, the stakes are high. This is a place that demands growth and striving and yearning. It's it's a land that demands alignment. And and that's what these chapters are really about. Not just where each tribe lives, but who they're going to become now that they're here. You know, exactly, Ari. Because beneath the geography is really destiny. It's all about the Land of Israel. It always has been about the Land of Israel, and it always will be about the Land of Israel. And so let's go in chapter 16. We read about Ephraim's portion. The chapter is really short. It's the second shortest chapter in the book. It only has 10 verses. And it starts off with the tribe of Ephraim receiving its inheritance. But I want to point out something subtle. The last verse describing the first inheritance in verse 10 says, "And they did not drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer." And we just saw also the tribe of Judah, there were still Canaanites in the land. And so right here at the very beginning as they're dividing up the portion of the Land of Israel, right in the middle of the settlement process, we start seeing the first cracks. And they received the land, but they didn't fully complete the mission. And that's going to echo later in the Bible, later in Jewish history, and obviously in Israel's modern history today in a very serious way. And so chapter 17, the tribe of Manasseh comes out with a complaint. Their lot is just not big enough. Joseph was promised in the Torah to be fruitful, and here we say, listen, they're fruitful. The country is just not big enough for them. And Joshua gives them a really powerful response, verse 17. And Joshua spoke unto the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, "You are a great people and have great power. You shall not only have one lot, for you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots and they're strong." In other words, Joshua is saying, "Don't ask for easier land. In the Land of Israel, you have to grow into harder responsibility." And the sages of Israel say, "Eretz Yisrael niknet b'yisurin." The Land of Israel is acquired through struggle and hardships. And we see that from the very beginning. We see that until today. And Ephraim really rise to the challenge. And then we go to chapter 18. In chapter 18, Shiloh becomes the center. And something really important's being taught to us here. The Mishkan, the Tabernacle is set up in Shiloh. Shiloh becomes the spiritual center of the nation. It's the place where the Tabernacle will stand for generations. It becomes the heart of Israel. And so what's being told is that before the land is completely divided, the Torah's teaching is first establish your spiritual center. Then build your national structure. And so Israel needs a center, a place that can bring all of their national energy together. And Shiloh, they can like finally Israel can fulfill its mission in bringing God's presence into the physical word world and making Israel a place where the divine presence can rest. And then the remaining tribes are called to draw lots. They receive their portions in the Land of Israel. And when you think about a lottery, I don't think there's a clearer expression that these lands are given to each tribe directly from Hashem more than a lottery was like literally just handing it over to Hashem, and then Hashem by himself chooses Benjamin, Shimon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan. And what looks repetitive, it's really crucial. Because here the promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the children of Jacob, to the children of Israel, for the first time it's becoming now a physical reality. It's true, but it does look repetitive. It really does. It feels repetitive. Like, okay, more borders, more cities, more lists. You know, but if you zoom out for a second, you could really appreciate it as a as an emotional moment. Right? Because for the first time in history, this isn't a dream anymore. Right? It's not a promise or a vision. This is families walking their land, children collecting their eggs from the from the lul, the chicken coop. It's vineyards being planted. It's homes being built. Like real life is actually beginning. That's really a emotional. You know, and and I think that sometimes we skip over these chapters because they feel technical. But in truth, this is the moment where the story becomes reality. And honestly, that itself, this story was it once sounded so distant, so unlikely, told thousands of years ago, and finally against all odds, it's taking physical form in the world. That that may be the greatest miracle of all. You know, it is a miracle. And it's a miracle that manifests in the real world, and we're living that in Israel today. I mean, there are miracles all around us, but they're so real. They're real lives with real people. And that's what the Land of Israel is all about. It's when miracles and prophecy become reality. And so now at the end of chapter 19, there's a really beautiful moment that I want to point out. After everyone receives their inheritances, um Joshua finally receives his. And in verse 49 and 50, "According to the word of the Lord they gave him the city which he asked for, Timnath-serah in the mountains of Ephraim. And he built the city and dwelt in it." And you know, you just have to appreciate the humility. He learned from his teacher Moses, the most humble of all men. Joshua, the leader of conquest, he waits until the very end. And the Tanakh expresses what true leadership is. You know, the the Tanakh never tries to paint heroes of Israel as saints or perfect or sinless, but it does show us images of true greatness. And here you can see true leadership. Serve first, and receive later. And so now, the promise that the children of Israel would inherit the Land of Israel is fulfilled. But fulfillment isn't the end of the story. In so many ways it's the beginning of the story. Because the real question Israel will be asked from this day forward is not can we conquer the land, but can we build a life worthy of the gift we've been given? And so, that's it, my friends. That was chapters 16 to 19. The children of Jacob that became the 12 tribes of Israel that became the nation of Israel have all received their inheritance as an everlasting covenant, an eternal promise. And as the enemies of Israel work hard to divide the Land of Israel and destroy the Jewish state in our lifetime. No matter what, the eternal [music] promise stands with Israel. All right, my friends. I'll see you tomorrow as we keep going chapter by [music] chapter through the prophets of Israel.